Tell me why I continue to buy shoes. I’ve bought one really cute, functional pair of heels and have bids on two more pairs on eBay that are just cute. I convince myself I need these. They’re essentials. Black and brown are essentials, right? No real way to explain away the purple pumps – oh wait, they’re good with jeans.

The draw – I love different styles and textures. I also love shoes because if they don’t fit and you go up a size, you’re not moping in a bag of Oreos as a result. There’s no size stigma with shoes. For that reason, I’m up to 40 pairs. I’ve promised the man, who’s tired of putting shoe racks together, that I’ll weed some out. It’ll be hard. But when these show up, I’ll need to make room for them:

Note that they’re Naturalizer, which is a brand getting a bit more respect from me. Sure, they still have some mighty frumpy styles, but I know own three pairs that I think are quite stylish. I get lots of compliments on my black wedge sandals, which have a beautiful gold chain detail across the toe. That you can walk all day in these make them worth considering. That I paid a whopping $24.99 for the ones above make them a necessity. And they’re black, so they’re essential, right? 🙂

As much as I’d love to be able to afford a jar of Creme de la Mer, I’m on a Benefit budget. Sometimes even that taxes me – we have to be able to buy more shoes, you know. It’s through trial-and-error and years of beauty mistakes that I’ve come up with my ultimate favorites. Here are my go-to staples, my can’t-live-without-’em items that get me through my day.

Hair:

VO5 Conditioning Treatment – Oh my gawd, is there anything better than this little tube of wonders for dry hair? I’ll answer that for you – no! At a mere $5 a tube (and that’s a high estimate), I get shine, conditioning, and control. Since my hair is thick, dry, and easily frizzed, I can’t live without this stuff.

John Frieda’s Frizz Ease – If you blow dry your hair, you need this stuff. Just a few small drops and your hair takes on an out-of-this-world gloss. Worth every penny of the $9.99 it costs.

Maybelline Define-a-Lash mascara – I mean, WOW. I’m on my third tube of this stuff and still no clumps! Nothing either high-end or low-end touches the look you get with this one. It makes my scrawny lashes look divine!

Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals – This is no bargain-basement makeup line. But the compliments I get and the way my skin looks is worth every cent. Even the overall condition of my skin is better after using this stuff. I paid something like $250 for full-size jars and brushes, but here it is three years later and I’ve only had to replace one jar. I’m a huge fan.

Max Factor Color Adapt – Some days you don’t want to use mineral powder. On my lazy days, I dab on this incredible little foundation. A little under-eye pencil and mascara and I’m out the door.

Clinique Long Last Lipstick in Satin Blush (F4 for those of you who need to know that) – This color looks great on anyone, seriously. I’ve always loved Clinique lipsticks, and after trying several higher-priced brands, I came back willingly. Great colors and wonderful conditioning!

Neutrogena Age Shield Face Sunblock – This is the reason some people can’t tell how old I am, I swear. I wear this every day on top of my moisturizer or as my moisturizer, depending on the day. Fantastic protection.

The man looked at my shirt the other day and said, “Wow. You look really nice. That shirt makes you look thinner and leaner.”

I went out the next day and bought two more. Hey, we don’t ignore when the man notices, do we? The shirt in question is a gorgeous raspberry-colored bib-gathered top from H&M with a subtle tone-on-tone stripe, 3/4 sleeve and enough lycra to hug the curves just so. All of $24.50. I’d show you a photo, but for some reason the US-based H&M site has yet to come up with an online store – why is that? If I want to fake my way through their Norwegian site, I might find something remotely similar. Here’s a somewhat similar shirt from the Norwegian site, though mine is not that long and much, much more fitted. No flowers on mine, either: